The playoff teams in the West are set, imo. The situation in the East is down to four teams fighting for three spots. As of today: NYI are on a six game winning streak. DET are on a five game...
The playoff teams in the West are set, imo. The situation in the East is down to four teams fighting for three spots. As of today:
M3: PHI (74pts; 17 games left)
WC1: TBL (74pts; 17 games left)
WC2: NYI (72pts; 19 games left)
Out: DET (72pts; 18 games left)
NYI are on a six game winning streak. DET are on a five game skid.
However… I think when it all shakes out, the standings will look like this:
Their recent skid (imo), is down to a combination of the loss of Dylan Larkin, some tough opponents (VGK, COL, FLA), and... a little bit of genuinely bad play. But, their next five games are against non-playoff teams! By the time they face sterner competition again, Larkin should be back in the lineup.
The Flyers are a Tortorella-induced mirage that's been coming apart in the back half of this season. I expect them to continue to drop in points percentage due to goaltending issues and a lack of star-power.
I think the Isles make it because of how weak the top of the Metro is this year (NJ's goaltending and injury issues changed the face of that division) and because their team has been playing stingy defence and getting timely offence/goaltending of late.
Tampa I simply can't count out.
One team to watch in all of this, not because they'll make it but because they have the potential to play kingmaker: Buffalo.
The Sabres have been playing better in their last 20ish games. Over the rest of the season, they play DET x3, PHI x1, NYI x1, and TBL x1. Will be interesting to see what their role is in the final Eastern Conference standings.
Edit: another team to watch: NYR. They play NYI x3, PHI x 2, Det x1, TBL x1. They may end up choosing their own opponent if they drop into M2 and play M3 (either PHI or NYI). Interesting.
Eastern Conference Standings Prediction A1 FLA A2 BOS A3 TOR M1 NYR M2 CAR M3 NYI WC1 TBL WC2 DET The Bruins and Panthers play each other twice before the end of the season, and I think it's going...
Eastern Conference Standings Prediction
A1 FLA
A2 BOS
A3 TOR
M1 NYR
M2 CAR
M3 NYI
WC1 TBL
WC2 DET
The Bruins and Panthers play each other twice before the end of the season, and I think it's going to be those two games that decide who takes the top spot. The Panthers have the slightly more difficult schedule, but they also have a game and a point in hand. Ultimately, I predict they clear BOS by a handful of points and pair off against the Red Wings in the playoffs, setting up yet another TOR vs. BOS round 1 rematch.
In the Metro, I think the Rangers will hold their edge over the Canes despite the latter picking up this year's biggest trade deadline acquisition in Jake Guentzel. I doubt Kuznetsov will end up making a big impact in Carolina, but who knows. That being said, the Rangers may regret taking #1 in the Metro given that it will match them up against Tampa Bay instead of the Islanders 😳
Western Conference Standings Prediction C1 DAL C2 COL C3 WPG P1 VAN P2 EDM P3 VGK WC1 LA WC2 NSH The Western Conference playoff teams are set, imo, but the order is where this conference gets...
Western Conference Standings Prediction
C1 DAL
C2 COL
C3 WPG
P1 VAN
P2 EDM
P3 VGK
WC1 LA
WC2 NSH
The Western Conference playoff teams are set, imo, but the order is where this conference gets interesting.
The Central is the most unpredictable division. DAL/WPG/COL are locked into those top 3 spots but I could see any of them claiming #1. DAL/WPG in particular made some excellent deadline additions for depth. Not sure how I feel about COL losing Byram, but Mittelstadt fills the hole at 2C (empty since Kadri left) and I feel like he could have another gear.
In the Pacific, I think VAN is too far ahead (and too good) for anyone to catch up. The Oilers will have to settle for second place, although I doubt they mind after such a scary start to the year. I'm also confident Vegas turns their skid around and transforms back into the championship team we saw last year (and earlier this season).
Of the non-playoff teams, MIN has the most potential to disrupt things, imo. I could see them challenging NSH for that last spot in the wild card... but it's a tall order at this stage of the season. I think they'll fall short despite their easy schedule to end the year.
The playoff teams in the West are set, imo. The situation in the East is down to four teams fighting for three spots. As of today:
NYI are on a six game winning streak. DET are on a five game skid.
However… I think when it all shakes out, the standings will look like this:
By some power rankings, the Red Wings have one of the easiest schedules left in the entire league. Even going by objective point percentage, they still have a slightly easier schedule than NYI/PHI.
Their recent skid (imo), is down to a combination of the loss of Dylan Larkin, some tough opponents (VGK, COL, FLA), and... a little bit of genuinely bad play. But, their next five games are against non-playoff teams! By the time they face sterner competition again, Larkin should be back in the lineup.
The Flyers are a Tortorella-induced mirage that's been coming apart in the back half of this season. I expect them to continue to drop in points percentage due to goaltending issues and a lack of star-power.
I think the Isles make it because of how weak the top of the Metro is this year (NJ's goaltending and injury issues changed the face of that division) and because their team has been playing stingy defence and getting timely offence/goaltending of late.
Tampa I simply can't count out.
One team to watch in all of this, not because they'll make it but because they have the potential to play kingmaker: Buffalo.
The Sabres have been playing better in their last 20ish games. Over the rest of the season, they play DET x3, PHI x1, NYI x1, and TBL x1. Will be interesting to see what their role is in the final Eastern Conference standings.
Edit: another team to watch: NYR. They play NYI x3, PHI x 2, Det x1, TBL x1. They may end up choosing their own opponent if they drop into M2 and play M3 (either PHI or NYI). Interesting.
Eastern Conference Standings Prediction
A1 FLA
A2 BOS
A3 TOR
M1 NYR
M2 CAR
M3 NYI
WC1 TBL
WC2 DET
The Bruins and Panthers play each other twice before the end of the season, and I think it's going to be those two games that decide who takes the top spot. The Panthers have the slightly more difficult schedule, but they also have a game and a point in hand. Ultimately, I predict they clear BOS by a handful of points and pair off against the Red Wings in the playoffs, setting up yet another TOR vs. BOS round 1 rematch.
In the Metro, I think the Rangers will hold their edge over the Canes despite the latter picking up this year's biggest trade deadline acquisition in Jake Guentzel. I doubt Kuznetsov will end up making a big impact in Carolina, but who knows. That being said, the Rangers may regret taking #1 in the Metro given that it will match them up against Tampa Bay instead of the Islanders 😳
Western Conference Standings Prediction
C1 DAL
C2 COL
C3 WPG
P1 VAN
P2 EDM
P3 VGK
WC1 LA
WC2 NSH
The Western Conference playoff teams are set, imo, but the order is where this conference gets interesting.
The Central is the most unpredictable division. DAL/WPG/COL are locked into those top 3 spots but I could see any of them claiming #1. DAL/WPG in particular made some excellent deadline additions for depth. Not sure how I feel about COL losing Byram, but Mittelstadt fills the hole at 2C (empty since Kadri left) and I feel like he could have another gear.
In the Pacific, I think VAN is too far ahead (and too good) for anyone to catch up. The Oilers will have to settle for second place, although I doubt they mind after such a scary start to the year. I'm also confident Vegas turns their skid around and transforms back into the championship team we saw last year (and earlier this season).
Of the non-playoff teams, MIN has the most potential to disrupt things, imo. I could see them challenging NSH for that last spot in the wild card... but it's a tall order at this stage of the season. I think they'll fall short despite their easy schedule to end the year.